I wonder if we can redirect this discussion to the task at hand -- how
to find a workable solution rather than point out all the potential
flaws in Simone's plans?
We were taking my son on hikes in the mountains of New Jersey and
upstate New York when his neck muscles were strong enough. He
Hi Simone,
The choice here is yours but, you know, if you were able to wait even a few
more months before taking the little one into the field it would be a
better/easier scenario for all involved. The time goes by very very
quickly. Perhaps this season, if you absolutely HAVE to collect your
Project Coordinator (Payroll title: Assistant/Associate Specialist, Job #
12-100)
Berkeley Initiative in Global Change Biology
(http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/globalchange/)
University of California, Berkeley
The Berkeley Initiative in Global Change Biology (BiGCB) at the University of
Actually, I think the real issue is who is advising Simone to do this
and thinks it is a good idea. My PhD and postodoctoral advisers had
kids and were realistic in terms of their expectations. Now that I am
on the other side, I try to do the same with my students and postdocs.
At three months,
Hi Simone,
I took my daughter to a workshop/fieldwork in Guatemala (she was five
months), and then Florida (eight months) - while doing my PhD, it requires
a bit of organization but as long as you have plenty of fluids, formula,
diapers, sun screen, repellent (and some other small things - in my
Thank you David for the perspective of a father,
I wrote to Simone off line with practical suggestions, but there may be
others contemplating the same issues so I repeat. I towed four children
around to global field sites (some pretty challenging) with me as a single
mom, for thirty years. It
OK, back to Simone's original question I didn't actually take my babies
into the field with me, but I took my firstborn on his first hike when he was
13 days old and many many times thereafter.
1. Front carriers: Front carriers allow you to take a baby pretty much
anywhere, snug, with
Your post was right on the spot David! Claudia and Eimy had good
comments too.
In terms of equipment, I am afraid that I am not up to date on the
newest accessories available for infants. I do agree with David that
having the right carrier is key. I used a Kelty Kids front carrier,
which
Some may be interested to watch one or more of Stephen Ceci's videos
discussing his research (with colleagues) on disparities between males and
females with re: participation in math-based fields. His most
recent studies implicate the decision to have children as the main effect.
This has been a really good discussion - parents have to make these kinds of
decisions all the time and there are no easy answers or right or wrong
pathways. What I see as a central issue are the expectations for performance
we have of ourselves, and what is drilled into our heads by many
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The Lead Scientist for the North and Central Coasts Region of California
provides conservation science leadership for The Nature Conservancy, by
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Hi Simone.
From personal experience I second (or third) the view that a front-held
carrier such as the Baby Bjorn is very effective for long hiking, climbing,
and fieldwork with such a young child. She'll keep warm from your own body
heat, you can put as many layers of any material between you
What I don’t understand about this thread is why people are so comfortable
giving unsolicited advice on someone else’s life decisions. Simone didn’t ask
for advice on whether or not to take her child to the field with her, she asked
for tools to do so well. She has doubtless assessed the
I think that the issue is PLANNING. So science should be compromised because of
your desire to have children? Slightly different twist to the discussion but
. if you are doing a field project you should plan on being there for your
committed time frame i.e. don't get pregnant. I have taken
Dear People,
This discussion is all very inspiring, but much of it misses the
point[s]. While Simone didn't say exactly what mountains she is working
in, I assumed from her location that she was speaking of the White
Mountains in New Hampshire. I have some experience with those mountains,
I was wondering when this point would be made. Maybe we should not even open
these jobs to women!
And I thought we were making progress.
Becky
Becky K. Kerns, Ph.D., Team Leader/Research Ecologist
Ecosystem Dynamics and Environmental Change
Threat Characterization and Management Program, PNW
I originally responded only to Simone personally. But, I now see a need for
wider discussion. I agree with Hal Caswell and others who have said that child
safety is paramount. If at all possible, another approach should be considered.
Hal, in answer to your query: In forty years of
Registration, as well as a call for poster abstracts and scholarship
applications, is now open for the Conference on Public Participation in
Scientific Researchhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/citscitoolkit/conference/2012
(citizen science, volunteer monitoring, community-based research, crowd
So we should just PLAN a life dedicated solely to the pursuit of
uninterrupted data? Our guiding principle as scientists should be to
compromise LIFE or anything else that might get in the way of the most
prolific output of pure science? Eh, no thanks, I didn't sign up for
that...what next, vows
Frankly, Hal, I think you miss much of the point. Our society has
become so risk-averse that -- even in the few decades since I was a kid
-- we have begun to avoid too much that is normal and healthy and safe.
All of these contributions that you dismiss as irrelevant only appear
irrelevant
Did I say that women shouldn't be working in this field? No I didn't. I knew
folks would get a tude and twist what I said. Further, I said it could happen
to either sex. I have just seen, from personal experience, it happen primarily
with women. I have never seen a male quit a project because
Unsolicited?
This was a post to a public forum on which the poster has requested
advice on what equipment she/he should consider for his/her infant.
Is this a female? I know men and women with this first name so I am
not sure. But, apparently some of you either know or have concluded
such.
We are seeking a summer field-crew member for forest vegetation sampling in
the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Project is investigating effect
of fuel treatments on post-wildfire vegetation dynamics. This position is
based in South Lake Tahoe, CA, with housing provided. Crew is expected to
Good one Todd, thanks for nimbly addressing that heavy dose of sexist
thinking.
To the issue of child safety. We throw around that phrase as if it is a
neutral, objective term, and we are all in assumed agreement on what that
means. Not so in a society where schools are requiring children to
I reassert that advice concerning the child’s well being was unsolicited in the
original post. If a colleague over 50 asked for gear recommendations, no one
would have recommended that they avoid fieldwork because of the risk for heart
attack. We assume they are intelligent enough to take
All of this discussion is mostly heartening, but a certain amount (far less
that I expected--that's a good example of why I like to be found wrong) of
self-righteousness has inevitably leaked through. It would be an
interersting student project (perhaps an opportunity to integrate sociology
Carolyn, I am the person who mentioned children being forbidden on field trips.
I provided that information in response to an explicit question. The policy
has nothing to do with whether or not the person who wished to take a child on
a field trip was a woman or a man. No parent could take a
Well said Lis.
For what use the information might be, some young friends of ours do a lot
of work in the field all over the world and they frequently take their
children with them rather than consigning them to caregivers. They took
their first-born son to Borneo at ten months. A few years
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